Featured Articles

After the second grand prix of the second year of Pirelli’s second three-year stint as exclusive Formula One tyre supplier, Motorsport director Paul Hembery addressed questions about its F1 programme in the ChemChina-owned era. “For us, it’s business as normal,” Hembery told motorsport magazine, Autosport. Indeed, the centrality of top-level motorsport to the manufacturer’s brand – “Motorsport for Pirelli remains key,” in Hembery’s words – is an obvious attraction to a Chinese company buying into the premium manufacturer’s market positioning.

The NTDA has announced that Wayne Hemingway MBE will be the closing speaker at the Tyre Industry Conference on 1 October at the ICC, Birmingham. Hemingway is known as a designer, entrepreneur and broadcaster. He founded the famous Red or Dead label and shop, has been a forceful voice in sustainable and social responsible design and design education, and has designed everything from houses to sofas to garden sheds.

Now that Jeremy Clarkson must be considered an ex-Top Gear presenter, the future of the planned Top Gear Live arena tour also been called into question. Four shows due to take place in Norway were postponed with replacement dates yet to be announced while the BBC’s investigation into Clarkson’s behaviour was completed. Having reported its findings that Clarkson made “an unprovoked physical and verbal attack” on his producer on 25 March, it appears the shows, and the rest of the ambitious Top Gear Live arena tour, remain in jeopardy – a potential marketing headache for the UK tour’s title sponsor Gocompare, and tyre supplier, Yokohama.

Merityre Little Chalfont in Buckinghamshire is the latest Pirelli Performance Centre to receive an upgrade. The LED reception upgrades have been fitted to the waiting areas of selected Pirelli Performance Centres, in a scheme that will be rolled out across more of Pirelli’s most prestigious dealers in the future.

On 22 March 2015 Pirelli was sold to ChemChina in a move that was both broadly expected and yet surprising at the same time. Expected inasmuch as Pirelli’s top management had been hinting at an exit for the last couple of years. Surprising due to the identity of the successful bidder and because of the speed at which the acquisition appears to have been agreed. But it was not a surprise who had been in high level talks with the Chinese for around three years. Here Tyres & Accessories compiles the latest details relating to the enormously influential story and considers what the impact will be on the company itself as well as the wider market place.

Giti Tire has unveiled its stand design for The CV Show 2015. The stand, situated at 4G40, will provide a platform for the launch of the new GT Radial GDR638 next generation drive axle tyre. An interesting feature of the stand (pictured) will be the presence of the manufacturer’s logo and corporate colours. In previous years Giti has made its flagship GT Radial brand the focus of its CV Show exhibit. Now the manufacturer plans to raise its corporate profile worldwide in support of global infrastructure projects, such as the new $560m manufacturing and distribution plant in Chester County, South Carolina.

The AA will soon launch a tyre-fitting fleet as part of its company’s expansion strategy as a listed company. Tyres & Accessories understands that this will run in conjunction with a specific industry partner as opposed to being directly owned and run by the AA. AA Tyres will being with 30 vans, something which suggests it will not offer national coverage initially. However, this figure and therefore also the coverage, is likely to increase over time.

In conjunction with its Italian car and truck tyre distributor, Farnese, Sailun Tyres has confirmed it will have a 96 square metre island stand at the 2015 Autopromotec Show. Located in Hall 15, the Sailun stand (stand E18) will feature the whole range of existing passenger car and truck tyres. In addition company representatives suggest there will be “some new surprise packages!”

Evergreen has renewed its relationship with young racing driver Dan Zelos after a successful 2014. The brand will support the promising Norfolk teenager during another season of the ITV4-televised Ginetta Junior Championship – one of the leading support series’ to the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) – as it begins at Brands Hatch on Easter weekend (4-5 April).

Innovative practices aren’t only found amongst the big players in the retreading industry. One small Dutch firm has invested in a better way of keeping tabs on the tyres it retreads, and aims to extend this to the fleets it works with. In February, Tyres & Accessories spoke with Hans Jörg from Lopik-based retreader Roline, and learnt how a technology of interest to top level motorsport is being used in retreaded bus and truck tyres.

The First Line Group (FLG) has introduced double rubber Becktec shimmed brake pads to stand alongside its Becktec coated discs, in an improved and expanded Borg & Beck braking line up. The corporate blue Borg & Beck shims are designed to deliver anti-vibration and noise reduction benefits.

Shandong Linglong Tire has appointed John Hagan as chief operating officer of its Americas division. Previously, Hagan was national vice president for Kumho Tires USA, which he joined in 2013. Hagan brings with him 20 years of tyre industry experience. In addition to working for Kumho, he has held positions with Toyo Tires USA and Pirelli North America.

Consumers will be able to receive a Government grant of up to £1,500 off the sale price of electric motorcycles and scooters, in a bid to encourage the purchase of zero emission two wheeler vehicles, the Government has announced.